Squeegee nozzle for wet pickup suction cleaners



y 4 1953 R. E. PARRY 2,677,144

SQUEEGEE NOZZLE FOR WET PICKUP SUCTION CLEANERS Filed April 15. 1950 2Sheets-Sheet 1 I l-LJIUUUUUUUU\[UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUi-mlmmmiiimmmmmimmiilil Inventor: Ralph E. Par-T15 His Attorney.

May 4, 1954 R. E. PARRY 2,677,144

SQUEEGEE NOZZLE FOR WET PICKUP SUCTION CLEANERS Filed April 15, 1950 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.4.

Inventor-z Ralph E. PaT'T'H b WM H is Attorne g.

Patented May 4, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SQUEEGEE NOZZLE FOR WETPICKUP SUCTION CLEANERS New York Application April 15, 1959, Serial No.156,085

5 Claims. 1

My invention relates to vacuum or suction cleaners of the wet pickuptype. More particularly my invention relates to a squeegee or wipingnozzle for such cleaners.

In some cleaning applications, particularly for industrial uses, a flooror other surface is washed or flooded with a cleaning solution.Thereafter a suction cleaner is used to pick up the dirty water orcleaning solution from the floor, the nozzle of the cleaner beingdesigned to wipe the floor with a squeegee blade and at the same time tosuck up dirty water which is pushed along the floor by the squeegeeblade. Some known wet pickup nozzles of the squeegee type are providedwith a wiping blade in the center of the air slot of the nozzle. Forvarious reasons this type of nozzle may be unsatisfactory. Othersqueegee nozzles are provided with blades at the forward and rear lipsof the nozzle, but this type of squeegee nozzle requires rocking of thenozzle on the wet floor being cleaned if best results are to be obtainedwhen direction of movement of the nozzle on the floor is changed. Myinvention relates to an improvement in a squeegee nozzle which does notrequire the rocking of the nozzle on the floor and is not otherwisesubject to the inconveniences of the single central-bladed squeegeenozzle.

My invention provides a nozzle of the above described desirableoperating characteristics which is simple in design, has but arelatively few number of parts, is inexpensive and, is reliable inaction. A nozzle according to a preferred form of my invention isprovided on both its front and rear lips with an inner highly flexiblesqueegee blade which has an edge of special design, and an outer lessflexible reinforcing strip lying alongside the squeegee blade but aboveits wiping edge; so that wiping action is obtained at the trailing edgeof the nozzle by the trailing squeegee blade, and air and water film areallowed to enter under the leading edge of the nozzle and the leadingsqueegee blade without the need for rocking the nozzle on the wet flooras the direction of movement of the nozzle is changed during cleaning.Because both the front and rear edges of the nozzle are so provided,this effect is obtained regardless of the direction of movement of thenozzle, that is, it does not matter whether the nozzle is being pushedforwardly or backwardly and no rocking of the nozzle for best wipingeffect is required.

Other objects and further details of that which I believe to be noveland my invention will be clear from the following description and claims2 taken with the accompanying drawings in which are illustrated twoexamples of wet pickup suctio cleaner nozzles embodying the presentinvention and incorporating the improved squeegee.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a side view of a con ventional suction cleanerof the wet pickup type and the connection thereto of a nozzle accordingto my invention; Fig. 2 is a front view on a larger scale of a nozzleaccording to my invention, with parts broken away for clarity; Fig. 3 isa bottom view of the nozzle of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a side end view of thenozzle of Fig. 2 with portions broken away to illustrate interiorconstruction; Fig. 5 is a side sectional view on a larger scale thanFig. 4 showing the lips of a nozzle according to my invention as theyappear during action, and Fig. 6 is a side end sectional view similar toFig. 4 but showing a modified form of my invention.

My invention is used with any suitable wet pickup suction cleaner havinga body I which contains a motor driven suction fan, a dust filter andwater separator and has a bucket or receptacle for receiving water. Noneof these interior cleaner parts are shown because they constitute nopart of my invention. The cleaner creates suction which is ultimatelyused at the nozzle. Connected to the cleaner in the usual fashion is aflexible hose 2 and usually a rigid tube or wand 3 which is suitablyconnected to the nozzle 4.

A nozzle according to my invention is provided with the usual suctiontube coupling 5 which communicates with a transversely elongated head 6in the bottom of which is provided a suction air slot 7 defined by anelongated front wall 3, an elongated rear wall 9 and shorter end wallsI0. Thus far the nozzle described is no different from many nozzles nowin use.

The wiping blades or squeegees H are preferably fastened to the frontand rear walls of the nozzle and extend transversely slightly beyond theend walls as shown best in Fig. 3. They project downwardly beyond thetips of the nozzle lips so that the nozzle never rides directly on thefloor. 'These squeegee blades are made of soft rubber which is highlyflexible so as to have the desired action later described. In thespecification and claims whenever rubber is used, it should beunderstood that either natural rubber compounds or synthetic rubbercompounds are intended, as long as the desired operating characteristicsare present in the compound used. I have found as a material for thesqueegee blades that a soft black rubber strip of 3G to 40 durometersabout of an inch thick and about 1 inch high is satisfactory, when usedwith the other parts about to be described.

Holding the squeegee blades in place are reinforcing strips i2 made ofmedium stiff rubber. These reinforcing strips are located outside of thesqueegee blades and are of about the same length as the blades. With theparticular blade described above I have found that a reinforcing stripmade of black rubber of 60 to 65 durometers about of an inch thick andabout i-Z- of an inch high overall is satisfactory. Holding eachsqueegee blade and reinforcing strip in place is a clamping plate l3which as shown in made from a strip of metal of nearly the same lengthas the squeegee blade and as the reinforcing strip but of less heightthan either. The clamping plates hold the squeegee blades and thereinforcing strips against the front and rear nozzle walls by anysuitable means such as the screws It.

As mentioned above, the squeegee blades and the reinforcing strips areso designed that wiping action is obtained at the trailing lip of thenozzle, and so that air and water may enter under the leading lip of thenozzle, regardless of the direction of movement of the nozzle, forwardor backward, over the floor or other surface being cleaned. This permitsthe dirty water or cleaning solution to be wiped up and to be picked upby the suction of the cleaner, leavin the floor or other surface dry forall practical purposes. The principal part of this wiping action isobtained by the shape and nature of the squeegee blades. A cross sectionof each of these blades shows that its inner and outer surfaces aresubstantially straight or vertical except for lower portion [5 of theouter surface of each blade, which is slanted downwardly and inwardly toits bottom edge. On the slanted portion of the squeegee blade I providea number of spaced grooves I8 that have axes in a series of verticalplanes that are normal to the bottom edge of said blade for a purposewhich will appear later. On the inside face of each squeegee blade,facing the nozzle air slot, I may provide horizontal step I! or a seriesof serrations so that the wiping action of the squeegee may bemultiplied by providing more than one wiping edge.

The reinforcing strips, as shown, extend below the nozzle lips but donot extend the full depth of the squeegee blades, preferably terminatingat the beginning of the taper on the squeegee blades. The bottom edge ofeach reinforcing strip may also be tapered as at l8, this taper being ineffect a continuation of the taper it on the outside of the squeegeeblade.

In use, as the nozzle is pushed or pulled over eraly, and to provide ahigh velocity inrush of of the nozzle will collapse easily inwardlytoward the suction air slot 1 of the nozzle because of the soft natureof the rubber used in making the squeegee blade. The trailing edge ofthe nozzle, on the other hand, is substantially supported againstcollapse by the medium stiffness of the reinforcing strip I8. Thistrailing squeegee blade will therefore wipe against the floor, pushingwater w ahead of it where it may be picked up by the suction of thenozzle. This action is best illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawing. Waterand air may enter under the leading edge by virtue of the soft materialfrom which this blade is made, and also because the grooves i6 permitentry of the water when this blade is flexed inwardly. The step ll onthe trailing edge provides an additional wiping edge.

At the ends of the nozzle the clamping plate, reinforcing strip andsqueegee blades are extended beyond the end walls ID of the nozzle andare bent slightly inwardly toward the end walls of the nozzle, as shownbest in Fig. 3. This provides a space [9 between the wiping edges at thenozzle ends. This space allows the entry of air at the ends of thenozzle and the bent ends provide a sort of a scoop which will pull waterinwardly from the ends as the nozzle is pushed or pulled over the floor.A small space must be left between the wiping edges at this point sothat the leading wiping edge may collapse properly, and to provide ahigh velocity inrush of air that will suck in water at the junction of afloor and wall when the nozzle is used along the sides of a floor or inthe corners of a room.

The modification shown in Fig. 6 includes a nozzle basically like thatof the first form, and reinforcing strips and clamping plates also likethose of the first form. However, the bottom of the squeegee blades isaltered slightly so that the air slot in the nozzle may be closed to agreater degree in order to obtain greater velocity of air movement. Inthis figure of the drawing the squeegee blades are designated by thenumber Ell, and each of these blades made with an inwardly extending jogor offset 2!. Outside slanted faces 22 similar to the slanted faces E5are also provided, and grooves 23 similar to the grooves 55. The innerfaces of these offset portions are provided with steps 23 similar to thesteps if of the first form. An additional reason for the designillustrated in Fig. 6 was to provide a thinner cross section of thesqueegee for greater flexibility which might permit the leading blade tobend more readily away from the reinforcing strip.

From the above it will be seen that little or no rocking action will berequired during operation of a nozzle according to my invention. Whenthe soft squeegee blade is being pushed away from the reinforcing strip,the grooves will be more or less parallel to the floor, thus allowingair and Water to be drawn under the edge of this forward blade. The rearblade is at the same time being pushed back against the reinforcingstrip and the grooves in this blade are bent back out of action. A sharpcontinuous edge is presented to the water film on the trailing edge,preventing the water from sliding under the rear blade. The extra. stepor steps on the inside face of this trailing squeegee blade provides asecond wiping edge when the blade is bent from being forced backward byfriction with the floor.

As will be evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of myinvention are not limited to the particular details of construction ofthe examples illustrated, and I contemplate that various and othermodifications and applications of the invention will occur to thoseskilled in the art. It is therefore my intention that the appendedclaims shall cover such modifications and applications as do not departfrom the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. In a wet pickup suction cleaner nozzle, elongated front and rearwalls joined by shorter end walls, the bottoms of said walls formingbetween them the edges of a horizontally elongated air slot, a firstflexible resilient horizontally elongated squeegee blade secured to andextending below the edge of said front wall, a second flexible resilienthorizontally elongated squeegee blade secured to and extending below theedge of said rear wall, each blade having an inner horizontallyelongated vertical face thereon positioned next to said air slot andopposite but spaced from the corresponding face on the blade across theslot, a horizontally elongated wiping edge on each blade at the bottomof said inner face, the outer face of each of said blades being locatedaway from said slot and slanted downwardly and inwardly to the wipingedge of that blade, each of said slanted faces having a series ofgrooves thereon extending to said wiping edge, said grooves in eachblade having axes disposed in a series of vertical planes normal to thewiping edge of that blade.

2. In a wet pickup suction cleaner nozzle, elongated front and rearwalls joined by shorter end walls, the bottoms of said walls formingbetween them the edges of a horizontally elongated air slot, twolongitudinally extending flexible squeegee blades, each secured to oneof said front and rear walls of said nozzle on either side of the slotand extending below the edges of said slot to an elongated wiping edge,the outside face of each blade located furthermost from said slot havinga series of grooves thereon extending to the wiping edge of that blade,said grooves in each blade having axes disposed in a series of verticalplanes normal to the wiping edge of that blade, said outside groovedface being slanted inwardly toward said slot and downwardly to thewiping edge thereof.

3. In a suction cleaner nozzle having a horizontal elongated air inletopening at the bottom thereof, a first elongated strip of flexibleresilient material secured to and extending below one longitudinal edgeof said opening, the inner face of said strip nearest said opening beinggenerally vertical and extending downwardly to an uninterruptedhorizontal wiping edge at the bottom thereof, the outer face of saidstrip farthest away from said opening extending downwardly and slantinginwardly to said wiping edge, said outer slanted face having a series ofparallel uniformly spaced grooves therein, each groove having an axisdisposed in a vertical plane normal to said wiping edge and extending onsaid slanted face only to said wiping edge, and a second identicalelongated strip of flexible resilient material secured to and extendingbelow the opposite longitudinal edge of said nozzle opening with itsgenerally vertical inner face nearest said opening and its slantedgrooved outer face farthest from said opening.

4. In a wet pickup suction cleaner nozzle, elongated front and rearwalls joined by shorter end walls, the bottoms of said walls forming theedges of an elongated air slot, two separate longitudinally extendingflexible squeegee blades, one on said front wall and the other on saidrear wall on either side of said slot, an elongated wiping edge on eachblade extending in a plane below the said edges of said slot, the faceof each blade l0- cated furthest away from said slot having a series ofgrooves thereon extending to said wiping edge, said grooves having axesin vertical planes normal to said edge, said grooved faces being slantedinwardly toward said slot and downwardly to said wiping edges, anelongated reinforcing strip longitudinally coextensive with and locatedoutside each blade, each strip extending to a level below the edges ofsaid nozzle air slot but above the level of the wiping edge on theblade, an outer face on each reinforcing strip slanting inwardly to thebottom thereof toward said slanted blade face, and a clamp outside ofeach blade and strip, securing said blade and strip to the outside wallof the nozzle on one side of said slot.

5. In a wet pickup suction cleaner nozzle, elongated front and rearwalls joined by shorter end walls, the bottoms of said walls forming theedges of an elongated air slot, two separate elongated soft rubbervertical squeegee blades, one on said front wall and the other on saidrear wall on either side of the slot, each blade extending horizontallyat each end beyond the ends of said slot, an elongated wiping edge onthe bottom of each blade extending in a plane below the edges of saidslot, outer faces on said blades slanted inwardly toward said slot anddownwardly to said wiping edge, said outer faces having a series ofgrooves thereon extending to said wiping edge, said grooves having axesin vertical planes normal to said edge, an elongated horizontal step onthe face of each of said blades located towards said slot near thewiping edge, an elongated rubber reinforcing strip stiffer than saidblade, longitudinally coextensive with and secured outside each blade,said strip extending to a level below the edges of said nozzle slot butabove the wiping edge on the blade, an outer face on each strip slantedinwardly and downwardly to the bottom thereof toward said slanted bladeface, and a longitudinally extending clamp plate outside of each bladeand strip securing said blade and strip to the outside wall of thenozzle on one side of said slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 635,462 Bourke Oct. 24, 1899 674,962 Cumming May 28, 1901954,541 Raymond et al. Apr. 12, 1910 1,297,387 Meyers Mar. 18, 19191,413,441 Wenger Apr. 18, 1922 1,849,663 Finnell Mar. 15, 1932 1,897,726Hillyard Feb. 14, 1933 1,987,296 Hoover Jan. 8, 1935 2,292,435 CritesAug. 11, 1942 2,306,946 Horton et al. Dec. 29, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 854,122 France Jan. 4, 1940

